Chapter 09: Chef Tanaka and Light’s Hunger

Sei Tanaka complained with the sun at its peak. The hot day differed greatly from the cool night. Sweat was dripping into Light’s coat while she breathed roughly to the heat.

Charles, the coachman, was smiling wryly, silently complaining. Whether it was the heat or the long journey, it is unknown.

Two days had passed since they had left Bergstadt. Although there was heat to complain to, there were also guards stopping them here and there on the road.
It had irritated Tanaka so he showed the note from the king he called Trash. The guards stopped bothering them and Charles had no idea why.

The readied food that Charles brought was already gone, but the uncooked meats and vegetables that Tanaka bought was still there, so it was decided that Tanaka had to cook.

Honestly, he thought that it was bothersome, but Charles had continued to persuade him. Light was silent, though. Since she was a slave, she could not order Tanaka to cook. On the other side, she wanted to try his food, too.

“Your daughter is asking for it, too, right?”

Was what Charles had said, but just irritated Tanaka more. But after a minute, he mysteriously gave in. This had made Light a bit happy. She had a faint smile which Tanaka could even see. She flinched at the sight of him glaring at her coldly.

The road was still long, stretching towards the distance. About how many days more. The curving road had made this trip a bit more long.
The sun still up the sky, heating up the atmosphere.

“Amaterasu, please make it a little bit cold here,”

He murmured the name of the Japanese Sun Goddess, which Light couldn’t even understand. But, murmuring her name might’ve worked. The clouds covered the sun, cooling it even for just a moment.

“Amaterasu? What’s that?”

“It’s nothing,”

He avoided the question since he does not want anyone to know about him.

A few hours had passed, the sun was no longer to be seen, signalling the enter of the dark night and its red moon. The lamp Charles had, lit the road. Having an hour more of travel and then suddenly stopped.

This time, they did not end up in a weird position. They were thankful for that.

“Since it is night and you two are weary, let’s stop here for the night,”

“Yeah, gather firewood, Light. An order,”

Light nodded with the glow on both her hands burned her soul. Grasping her katana, she went off to the nearby woods with her white coat fluttering to the breeze.
As soon as she left, Tanaka readied the tent with Charles helping. The awkward silent took Charles to say something.

“Why is that lady has a slave mark?”

He asked suddenly that it took him off guard. The answer to the question was meant to be secret, but since it was not something to be hidden for long he told Charles.

“It was on her own free will,”

“But that girl is your own daughter,”

“Not even close. We aren’t even related. Plus, I’ve never even known her,”

“Eh? I was sure that you were related,”

Tanaka was baffled at his statement. They were, no doubt, not related. Both of their hair weren’t even the same. Nor their faces. Even their eyes. Light’s had red eyes and his was a normal black. None can compare that they were related excluding Charles.

“But both of you were tied down by fate,”

He murmured, looking at Tanaka’s pinky. But Tanaka did not catch it and wondered what was he murmuring about. Charles kept secret of his secret skill that can see people’s fated ones. The red string could seen on Tanaka’s pinky which stretched towards the woods where Light was.

Light came back a few minutes later, carrying four, no, six bundles of firewood. Light’s arm strength bewildered Charles. If she were this strong and she was a slave of Tanaka, then how can he possibly imagine Tanaka’s strength. He smiled wryly, knowing this fact.

“Firewood…,”

Light laid down the six bundles of firewood and patted her stomach that growled like thunder. This made her blush from embarrassment. Sighing, Tanaka prepared the ingredients while Charles readied the fire.

“Fire magic… Better,”

Light said as soon as he started the fire. He didn’t use magic that was why it took him too long making Light complain. By the way, she could complain to Charles since he wasn’t her master.

Tanaka neatly cut the vegetables and cooked it with the meat with sauce. Light stopped herself from drooling as it was bad manners but could not stopped her stomach. “Hahaha,” Charles laughed at her for being impatient.

Kicked by Light, Charles went to Tanaka to see how the food went. He was sure that Tanaka would burn it because he was not a woman. But surprisingly, the smell and the food was nicely cooked. Tanaka went and divided it into three where Light had the largest share.

‘She’s a total glutton,’ Tanaka thought.

Charles checked the food and it was equally cooked, no matter how you see it. He was curious to how Tanaka made this without a single mistake.

“There’s no poison, you know,”

Charles laughed wryly and tried to taste it. What a wonderful taste. The meat, tenderly cooked, with its sauce that combines the taste of its vegetables. Juicy, pleasing to the mouth as it melts it.
Delicious!!

“You could make a great wife, Sei,”

Charles casually called him by his first name. But that does not matter. What matters is, that Light was nodding to Charles’ statement with an empty plate at hand.

“I was wondering how you could make such a wonderful and delicious food,”

“I live by myself. No mother, no father. That’s why I strived to survive,”

The story was surprising. Although it was a bit short, it showed grief and sorrow. Hardships for Tanaka.

“I see,”

Light gazed down hearing the story. She was guilty of hurting Tanaka when he had so much suffering.

The red moon at the sky illuminated the two tents and Light who was sleeping outside. She had been ordered to do so, that was why.
But she grew restless, shivering to the cold breeze. Taking off her coat, leaving her nightgown on her, she headed straight to Tanaka’s tent, seeing Tanaka sleep. She smiled seductively to which no one saw.
Her heart beating very fast, her flushed face which Tanaka was at fault. Carefully placing her lips on Tanaka’s neck.